The Ultimate Sacrifice

It is with heavy hearts that we share the sad news of the loss of Alice the ewe.  On Monday night, for the first time in the many years that we have lived here on Gael Glen Farm, our flock was attacked by a coyote.  From what we can piece together, it seems that the coyote went under the fence to attack Abbott.  However, it seems to have been deterred by Charlie with whom Abbott was sharing a paddock.  The coyote then moved into the neighbouring paddock in search of an easier target.  Alice, in her effort to protect her family (Lego, Molly and Violet are her children and Cobalt is her grandchild), ended up losing her life.  When I went to put the animals to bed for the night I found Abbott limping and Alice missing entirely.  We eventually located Alice in the field behind our property but she was dead and what the coyote had left of her body was not pretty.  Predator attacks on pets are heartbreaking.  Alice was a phenomenal mother, an exceptional protector and one of my favourite animals.  She will be greatly missed.

Alice nursing Molly and Lego on Friday.

So, it is with great sadness that life must move on here on the farm without the eldest member of our farm family.  We have spent the last few days reinforcing the perimeter fence, buying a coyote trap and bait, preparing to weed whack the waist high goldenrod on our neighbour's property to eliminate places for coyotes to hide near our fence line, and buying wolf urine online to use as a coyote deterrent.  We have temporarily moved all of our animals into the interior chicken run so they are protected by two fences. We are worried about a repeat attack.  We have been letting them out of the barn later in the morning and putting them to bed well before the sun sets, while praying that the coyote does not come back to hunt during the day.  Ian has also offered to set up his trail cam on the property for a week or so to monitor whether the coyote is returning.    If you have any other suggestions about how to keep our remaining animals safe, we would be glad to hear them.

Alice and her baby lambs in the spring.

Alice (left) and Violet (right) with their shaggy winter wool.

Rest in Peace Alice.  We will miss you.